Who Should I Start? Breece Hall or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Saturday, September 6, 10:39 AM

New York Jets running back Breece Hall draws an unfavorable matchup this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his team's home opener. The Iowa State product is an uber-talented athlete, but he's set to share a larger portion of New York's backfield touches this season with second-year pro Braelon Allen, and potentially even Isaiah Davis in the fold. Hall's skill as a pass-catcher should help keep his fantasy value afloat in 2025. However, he'll be subject to Allen and even quarterback Justin Fields vulturing goal-line opportunities. It's still possible talent wins out here, but Hall owners should expect the situation in New York to be more fluid than in years past. He's a mid-low-end RB2 ahead of Sunday's slate of action, and officially RotoBaller's PPR RB20 for Week 1.

Monday, September 8, 9:04 AM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt tallied 82 rushing yards and a score on 10 attempts in his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants. The seventh-round rookie was unable to bring in his lone target. Despite sitting lower on the depth chart to open the game and throughout most of camp, Croskey-Merritt outpaced all Washington running backs in carries and yards. Veteran and presumed starter Austin Ekeler ran the ball just six times while journeyman Jermey McNichols totaled just four attempts. Chris Rodriguez Jr. was listed as a healthy scratch. However, Ekeler had a more important role in the passing game, seeing three targets. Even though Croskey-Merritt may see his ceiling limited due to his capped receiving upside, the team appears to already view him as their primary running back in early-down work. As a result, managers should view the Arizona product as a solid RB2 in all leagues heading into a Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers.